Borough President James Oddo is pleased to announce that his office’s tourism initiative, VISIT Staten Island, has received The Tourism Excellence Award for a Public Relations Campaign from the New York State Tourism Industry Association at a ceremony held last week in Auburn, New York.

The Tourism Excellence Award for a Public Relations Campaign was presented to Jennifer Sammartino, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Colleen Siuzdak, Manager of VISIT Staten Island, during the state association’s annual meeting Friday morning among 9 other awardees throughout the state. Among those counties recognized along with Staten Island included Long Island, Central New York, the Hudson Valley, and the Finger Lakes.

With the collaboration of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and Destination St. George, VISIT Staten Island was able to receive a New York state grant last year to allocate funds for this rebranding and marketing of the borough as a destination. ThoughtMatter, a Manhattan-based branding agency, designed the brand and fully captured the essence of Staten Island as a place where people live, work, and play, with the rebranded campaign slogan of “The Unexpected Borough.”

The New York State Tourism Industry Association recognizes leaders in New York State's tourism industry who have achieved a high level of excellence and accomplishment. Individuals and organizations are selected from nominees that have demonstrated commitment, leadership, and accomplishment in the travel and tourism sector from January 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019.

“This was the right time to begin to market Staten Island as a destination,” said Borough President Oddo. “The borough has so much to offer – from history, to food, to experiences, to shopping. We have it all and the whole world is starting to get the message.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized by NYSTIA for our efforts,” said Sammartino, Deputy Chief of Staff. “With the help of our amazing partners – I LOVE NY, the SI Chamber of Commerce, Destination St. George and ThoughtMatter – we were able to create a beautiful campaign that reflects what a gem Staten Island really is.”

The New York State Tourism Industry Association brings together those who support the state’s $115 billion tourism industry as a way to increase economic development in the 62 counties of New York State. In 2018, these state-wide efforts welcomed 253 million visitors with direct spending totaling $72 billion. Although all partners focus on the visitor experience, these members also strive to improve the quality of life and pride of place for all New Yorkers.

About VISIT Staten Island:
VISIT Staten Island was created in 2009 to highlight Staten Island as a fun, family-friendly, and historical destination to visit. The initiative is managed by Staten Island Borough President James Oddo's Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, an office created in 2017. The VISIT Staten Island initiative was rebranded in 2018 to incentivize those travelling from Manhattan to stay on Staten Island and spend the day at one of the many cultural attractions, shops, and restaurants. The campaign, “The Unexpected Borough,” also encourages residents to explore their own backyard and take advantage of the programs and events that are found so close to home. 

On Wednesday, September 18, Borough President Oddo joined with NYC SCA President and CEO Lorraine Grillo, DOE officials, Hungerford School Principal Kristin McHugh, and elected officials for the official groundbreaking of the new four-story 456-seat Hungerford school building for District 75 students on Staten Island.

“Regardless of how this day has started for you,” said Borough President Oddo at the groundbreaking, “at the end of this day please say aloud to your loved ones ‘this was a good day’ because it certainly is. This is the next chapter of the story about a state-of-the-art new school being constructed for Hungerford students and one about the persistence and grit from Kevin Moran, who willed it into existence through sheer determination. The end result will be a new school that will educate future generations of students in a manner they deserve. I am grateful for all those in DOE and the School Construction Authority for making this a reality. To all the parents, families and educators who have advocated and fought for this over the years, thank you as well and congratulations."

The new Richard H. Hungerford School will be located on the Michael J. Petrides Educational Complex.

“We are thrilled to be doing this. This is going to be a spectacular school,” said NYC SCA President Lorraine Grillo speaking on the amenities that will be available at the new Hungerford School including: braille signage in every room, elevators on all floors, and wheelchair ramps. The new building will also include hearing loops, a wire that circles a room connected to a sound system which hearing-impaired students can connect to via their hearing aids or cochlear implants.
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Inclusion opportunities will be available for Hungerford School students across the entire Petrides campus.

Other amenities will include: 38 special education classrooms, Rooms for physical, occupational and speech therapy, stationary exercise room, full kitchen complex, library, guidance and medical suites, culinary art room, print/photography room, as well as administrative suite, conference room, teacher work room and parent room. 

Construction began in July on this $78 million investment. The project is expected to be completed for the start of the 2021-2022 school-year.

Photos courtesy of NYC SCA. 

​Borough President James Oddo sponsored a Lyme Disease Awareness Forum on Monday, June 17th. This free event took place at 7pm at Wagner College (1 Campus Road) in a Spiro Hall lecture room. Over 150 Staten Islanders came out to learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones from ticks and Lyme disease. After having to reschedule in May due to inclement weather, we were extremely pleased to hold a standing room only event.
 
“Our quest to mitigate the growing number of Staten Islanders suffering from Lyme disease is being fought on many fronts, and educating the public about the disease and how it is spread is a vital step. We will continue to raise awareness on this topic because it is real and it is affecting Staten Islanders,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
At the forum, researchers from NYC DOHMH presented an update on their surveillance measures with statistical updates on the incidence of Lyme disease cases in New York City and on Staten Island as well as information on the black-legged ticks that are vectors for the disease. Borough President Oddo was pleased to hear their tick surveillance has been increased from 14 to 24 sites in parks across our borough and that they will be implementing Met52 in their tick control measures, a fungus based approach that kills ticks without hurting any other invertebrates.
 
Maria Diuk-Wasser, Associate Professor and Researcher at Columbia University, presented information on how exactly ticks get around and where people are exposed to ticks. Can you guess how ticks ‘move’ around parks in New York City? That’s right – deer. Deer are where ticks meet and reproduce. She stressed that connectivity is key, as only parks close to other parks in NYC have ticks. Parks surrounded by vegetation and are more connected to others by habitat corridors have more ticks infected with the Lyme bacteria. We continue fight for ways to control the deer population to also reduce the tick numbers and Lyme cases on Staten Island.
 
Attendees also heard from Dr. Christopher J. Pappas, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Manhattanville College, who talked about what attracts the different types of ticks we have on Staten Island, how to avoid them and prevent tick bites, as well as do’s and don’ts on tick removal. Among many tips, one that stuck out: make sure to put clothes in the dryer, not the washer to kill ticks. Drying ticks out kills the ticks.

Dr. Ernest Visconti, pediatric infectious disease specialist, moderated a question and answer period with the audience following the pretensions.

Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School tabled at the event showing their school projects to educate Staten Islanders on how to protect themselves from ticks and Lyme disease. 
 
Here is the link to the PowerPoint presentations from the forum: http://www.statenislandusa.com/lymeforumslides.

​On Thursday, June 14th, Borough President Oddo joined with members of the NYPD, District Attorney Mike McMahon, and the DOE to congratulate the 5th and 7th grade students who participated in the "Too Good For Drugs" program at PS 21 and St. Adalbert's School.

The “Too Good For Drugs” curriculum is co-taught in the classroom by a police officer and a teacher. The program, which is in its fourth year, takes place in 5th, 7th and 9th grade classes in public and parochial schools across the borough.
 
"The amazing officers have taught us to be a good influence on others," said PS 21 students thanking the NYPD officers for teaching the ‘Too Good For Drugs’ Curriculum. “Thank you and stay safe.”
 
Laura Timoney, BP Oddo's Deputy Director of Education, address the students speaking on why the 'Too Good For Drug" Program is important: “You all know you do better on a test when you study. That’s what this program exist for: to prepare you for the time when you’re faced with a tough decision of following along with your friends or choosing to say no."

At the end of the ceremony, students took a pledge to abstain from tobacco, alcohol and drugs, led by NYPD Chief Kenneth Corey.

Borough President James Oddo will joined with NYC Department of Parks to hold a beach cleanup event in honor of World Oceans Day 2019 on Saturday, June 8th. A call to action was issued for Staten Islanders who are interested in cleaning up our beaches to join us at Conference House Park for a cleanup of the 3.5 miles of shoreline from 10am to 1pm.

104 Staten Islanders volunteered their time to join us, including students from IS 75, Port Richmond HS, Tottenville HS, PS 22, and PS 51. 

Cooling stations and restrooms were available. The cleanup at Conference House Park will featured tables with information from different environmental education groups and City agencies.

Below is video of Deputy Borough President Ed ​Burke showing the tremendous work our volunteers put in.  

Borough President James Oddo has issued the following statement regarding the Bay Street Corridor Re-zoning Plan. As part of the Uniform Land Use Review Process regarding the Re-zoning Plan, Borough President Oddo issued a formal ‘Disapproval With Modifications’ response.

“For five years, Borough Hall has attempted to inject some common sense into the de Blasio Administration’s plan for affordable housing on Staten Island.  Their strategy, which will add thousands of new residents to the North Shore in mid- and hi-rise buildings along the Bay Street Corridor, will provide little in the way of corresponding services. 

“We have tried to make them see this issue through the single most important prism to Staten Islanders: infrastructure and the diminishment of our quality of life when our infrastructure is resoundingly insufficient.  It’s a reality we experience in various ways on a daily basis – because of a void in the farsightedness of past leaders.

“In recent months we have aggressively used social media to express facts, concerns, and realities on the ground, and we even used a good dose of ‘reductio ad absurdum’ to ensure the Administration and the local Council Member did right by this borough. They have come up short, which means we at Borough Hall have missed the mark, and the people of Staten Island, both current and future residents, are worse off for it.

“For all this density and the infrastructure challenges that most certainly will come with it, what are we really getting? Well, we seem to have a commitment to pay off an existing debt to Staten Island -- the Cromwell Center and a new school at the Hungerford site – and projects created long ago by the Bloomberg Administration, which heretofore have remained unfulfilled during the current administration, i.e. waterfront plans.

“Peel back the onion a bit and take away the $92 million for the Cromwell Center, which we were promised anyway; the tens of millions for the Hungerford site, which would have been allocated anyway; the $39 million from FEMA for the esplanade, which was expected anyway; and well, that onion will indeed make you cry.  Cry for the opportunities missed, for the shirking of responsibility by the agencies, for their refusal to do the hard work, for how let down Staten Islanders have been, and for the looming specter that what could have been a transformative moment in our history is now likely to go sideways.

“What you won’t see in this re-zoning announcement is as critically important as what you do see.  You won’t see any genuine effort to stop the already awful traffic and transit reality from getting exponentially worse, let alone being mitigated to some degree.  At this point, why not call in Staten Island’s old ‘friend,’ former NYC DOT Commissioner Janet Sadik Khan, and have her make the entire stretch of Bay Street a pedestrian plaza?  Because with tens of thousands of people added to this corridor as a result of this re-zoning, commuting or traveling by vehicle will certainly be painful, and maybe even pointless.

“What was done today was a repeat of the lack of planning that has plagued Staten Island ever since the opening of the Verrazzano Bridge. Today’s decision makers, just like our counterparts of decades ago, will have the benefit of being long gone when the byproducts of their shortsightedness manifest themselves. 
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“As bitterly disappointed as I am, the harsher arbiter will be time.”

Borough President James Oddo is pleased to announce a partnership with NYC Department of Parks to hold a beach cleanup event in honor of World Oceans Day 2019.
 
We all know Staten Island has a litter problem, and we are working to make it better, but we can’t do it alone! Borough President Oddo and NYC Parks are issuing a call to action for Staten Islanders – civic groups, community organizations, and individuals – who are interested in cleaning up our beaches to join us at Conference House Park for a cleanup of the 3.5 miles of shoreline. This event will take place June 8, from 10am to 1 pm, rain or shine. Cooling stations and restrooms will be available.
 
“The fight to reclaim our Island from those who litter continues. We ask the public to help us, not only by not littering, but also by joining with us to help clean up the shoreline at Conference House Park on June 8th,” said Borough President Oddo. “We hope that by having a call to action for one weekend, we can enlist more Staten Islanders in this battle. I know the majority of Staten Islanders are not engaging in it, but we need the majority to help us with the litter solution in order to protect our community and our beaches.”
 
The Borough President’s Office and NYC Department of Parks will donate supplies for the cleanup efforts at Conference House Park for volunteers to safely cleanup the shoreline. In order to ensure there are enough supplies for the cleanup, please RSVP below or call Irene Maiello at (718) 816-2239.
 
The cleanup at Conference House Park will also feature tables with information from different environmental education groups and City agencies. There will also be a guided historic tour of the area available.
 
“We count on New Yorkers to help us keep our public spaces clean and green, and that includes our waterbodies and beaches,” said NYC Parks Staten Island Borough Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone. “We are proud to partner with Borough President Oddo in an effort to reduce litter across the Staten Island shoreline. Together, we can all chip in to maintain and enjoy a healthy, beautiful environment.”
 
In the event that any illicit drug paraphernalia is found, NYC Parks will have trained crew members on site to properly and safely dispose of it.

​Borough President James Oddo will sponsor a Lyme Disease Forum in May to update Staten Islanders about the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne illness on Staten Island. This free event will be held on Wednesday, May 29th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Bernikow JCC (1466 Manor Road) and coincides with May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
 
At this forum, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and researchers from Columbia University will present important information about Lyme disease and the black-legged ticks that are vectors for the disease. DOHMH staff will also provide statistical updates on the incidence of Lyme disease cases in New York City and on Staten Island. There will also be presentations on tick precautions and removal. There will be a demonstration of how mice bait boxes—or mice “car washes”—work, one of the tick control measures that New York City is undertaking at the urging of Borough President Oddo.
 
Topics to be discussed at the event include basic facts about Lyme disease, symptoms and health impacts, public safety tips, precautions when exploring natural areas, and do’s and don’ts on tick removal. A question and answer period with the audience will follow the presentations.
 
Speakers at the event include:

• Members of NYC DOHMH including Sally Slavinski, DVM, MPH, Assistant Director, Zoonotic and Vector borne Disease Unit; John Zuzworsky, Senior Vector Ecologist, Office of Vector Surveillance and Control; and Mario Merlino, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Veterinary and Pest Control Services
• Maria Diuk-Wasser, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Columbia University
• Christopher J. Pappas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Manhattanville College

 
“Our quest to mitigate the growing number of Staten Islanders suffering from Lyme disease is being fought on many fronts, and educating the public about the disease and how it is spread is a vital step,” said Borough President Oddo. “The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University are working with us on the front lines to combat ticks and the spread of Lyme disease. It is essential Staten Islanders gain as much information as possible to be able to protect themselves.”
 
If you wish to attend the forum, please RSVP to Diane Marciuliano at (718) 816-2246 or DMarciuliano@statenislandusa.com.
 
The Borough President’s previous Lyme disease Forum in August 2016 attracted over 100 individuals.